Stereotyping human-like virtual influencers in retailing: Does warmth prevail over competence?

Virtually authentic: examining the match-up hypothesis between human vs virtual influencers and product types

“…Lacking organic interactivity and a real-life experience, virtual influencers struggle to convince consumers that their product endorsements are motivated by genuine experiences. Instead, they often appear as only commercial-driven and orchestrated by external stakeholders (El Hedhli et al, 2023;de Brito Silva et al, 2022). Followers can easily see that virtual influencers are staged and fabricated, perceiving them as less authentic and persuasive than their human counterparts (Lou et al, 2022;Yang et al, 2023).…”

“…Digitized entities with anthropomorphized appearances that have human bodies, social roles, and their own identity; they can play the role of human SMIs by interacting with other humans, controlled either by humans or computer algorithms. p. 6 (Byun and Ahn, 2023,) They are crafted with anthropomorphic features, attractive appearances and compelling storylines, enabling them to emulate the behaviors of human social media influencers (El Hedhli et al, 2023;Deng and Jiang, 2023). They engage with followers by sharing their daily experiences, posing questions and responding to comments.…”

“…Narratives of personal experiences, which are considered authentic when shared by human influencers, are often questioned when presented by virtual influencers. While these narratives may be engaging, they are sometimes perceived as less genuine or fabricated, potentially undermining consumer perceptions of authenticity (El Hedhli et al, 2023;Lou et al, 2022). Furthermore, virtual influencers face a unique paradox in their endorsements of tangible products.…”

Virtual influencer marketing: a study of millennials and gen Z consumer behaviour

“…However, there are conflicts as some consumers dislike or refuse to interact with Vis. While some see Vis as a force for good in combating loneliness and isolation (El Hedhli et al , 2023), others see them as disturbing and unsettling (Franke et al , 2023). Similarly, Lou et al (2022) reported that consumers’ assessments of Vis are mixed, with feelings ranging from fascination to terror.…”